Eckert relishing "most beautiful and important game of the year"
Tonda Eckert is excited to lead Southampton into “the most beautiful and most important game of the year” on Sunday.
The head coach is preparing for his first south coast derby, as Saints make the short journey to Portsmouth on the hunt for a first league win at Fratton Park in 50 years.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Eckert is determined to see his players “dig very deep” and “bring the talent that we have on the pitch” as they strive to make history.
“It’s the most beautiful game of the year, the most beautiful and the most important one,” he said.
“First of all I’m expecting a great away support. Obviously it’s a special game for both sides, and we need to make sure we bring our quality on the pitch in some moments. I think if we manage to do this, we have a good chance to come out on top.
“There will be moments in there when we need to dig very deep, and then hopefully there will be some moments when we manage to keep the ball on the ground and bring the talent that we have on the pitch, and then I’m very positive that we come away with a good result.”
When asked what he knows about the rivalry between the clubs, Eckert replied: “When you come into Southampton I think the first and most important thing is to understand the culture of the club.
“It means everything. I’ve been at this club for six months, I’ve been at the stadium when we played the game at home [against Portsmouth in September].
“It means everything. You can feel this when you walk to the stadium, you can feel this in the days coming up to the game.
“When you come to those games it’s a different feeling. It just feels different. We need to use that energy and fuel to transfer that to the pitch.
“We always say cold heads and hot hearts. It’s a balance. Obviously we need to take the emotion of the game, because it’s not a game like any other, and at the same time there are some moments when we need to have a clear idea and a clear mind. That is going to be the balance for us to find for Sunday.”
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